


Little Do You Know How I'm Breaking While You Fall Asleep

by RIP_Common_Sense



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Blood, Depression, Eating Disorders, Hospital, I'm Sorry, Mike's parents aren't total bums, Multi, Sad, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-23 05:40:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13183503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RIP_Common_Sense/pseuds/RIP_Common_Sense
Summary: William Byers, friend of Mike Wheeler and victim of the Upside Down.  Michael Wheeler, friend to Will Byers and victim of depression and anxiety.  These two have some regrets, like not telling each other they like each other, but things always get in the way.  They are also content that neither has ever lost the other, but will this change.





	Little Do You Know How I'm Breaking While You Fall Asleep

**Author's Note:**

> 1) Is Byler canon? Then I do not own Stranger Things.
> 
> 2) This is my first ever fanfiction! So please no hate.
> 
> 3) If you see any spelling, grammar, punctuation, or anything in general let me know and I'll fix it.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Bye Will,” Michael Wheeler said to his best friend as Will went to meet his brother, Jonathan, at Jonathan’s car.

“Bye Mike,” William Byers yelled, flashing his one-in-a-million smile, back as he was getting in the car. 

As soon as Will was gone, Mike let a part of his shield down. Gone with the happy, carefree Mike, and in with the “what’s the point of living” Mike. The Mike that biked home alone instead of hanging with his friends for just a few more minutes, he wanted the alone time, the time to

Getting his bike from the bike rack, Mike put his shield back up, just for a minute or two, as he saw Dustin and Lucas walking towards the bike rack as well. 

“Hey Mike,” Dustin said, smiling like there was nothing wrong in this dreadful world.

“Hey, Mike. Wanna ride home with me and Dustin?” Lucas asked though it had been close to four months since Mike had ridden home with them, not long after the events that happened at the lab. 

“Hey Dustin, Lucas. Nah, I don’t think so, got get home and start on my homework, got a lot of it,” Mike said with a forced laugh and strained smile.

“Okay, you sure?” Dustin asked, his smile gone, they had all the same classes and they really didn’t have that much homework.

“Yeah, totally. See ya later,” Mike said already getting his bike and rushing off. He hated himself, why did he have to be so rude to his friends, they had never done anything to him. It wasn’t their fault that they just couldn’t get that he needed alone time, that he didn’t get it at home, not anymore. How were his friends supposed to know that he wasn’t allowed to lock doors anymore, that he was to show his arms, thighs, and stomach to his parents nightly if he didn’t tell them? 

Pulling up to his house he went to the basement door dropped his bike and went in. Going up the stairs he wiped the tears off of his face and put his shield up long enough to go through the kitchen, as not to worry his mother.

“Hey honey, how was school?” Mike's mom, Karen Wheeler, asked her son, putting her hand over the speaker of the phone. She had been a much better mother since the incident at the lab, especially since her son's diagnosis.

“Mike, how was school?” Karen asked again when her son completely ignored her, instead grabbing an apple out of the basket on the counter and rushing out of the kitchen.

“Fine. School was fine, mom,” Mike lied, of course, school was not fine, nothing was fine anymore. 

“Mike, don't lie,” Karen said, as always, seeing through her son's lie. She didn't know how no one else was able to tell, except Nancy, her oldest daughter. Mike's deep chocolate eyes give it away, an “I'm sorry” look settling in his eyes, or he just avoided your eyes, but that was common enough anymore. Karen had always been able to tell, and she knew that he used to lie to her a lot, but now that he was a risk to himself, she couldn't allow lies to slip past her.

“School sucked, happy?”Mike yelled in a gruff tone, an “and leave it at that” tone. With that, Mike walked out of the kitchen.

Mike ran up the stairs and down the hall, and upon entering his room he slammed the door. Throwing his bag on his bed, Michael Wheeler slid down the door crying, knees pulled to his chest, arms around his legs, and his head resting on his knees. Why was he so fucked up? Why did he have to be rude to everyone? People that are nothing but nice to him.

“Mike, honey, you okay?” Karen asked her son, knocking on the door. Her kind voice washing over Mike for just a second, before he remembered she didn't have to be kind, he had just yelled at her. He had been mean to his mom so many times, yet she was nothing but kind to him. The thoughts gathering in his head caused a choked sob.

“Mike, let me in,” Karen said, voice rising in intensity when she realized something was blocking the door. 

“Michael Wheeler, let me in, please,” Karen's voice had been firm, until that last word, please. The desperation in her voice was like a ton of bricks on Mike, with another despaired sob, Mike moved, away from the door, though this time in the middle of the floor, sitting cross-legged, elbows resting on knees with his hands holding his forehead.

Karen slowly opened the door, maybe not to startle Mike, or maybe she was preparing herself for the mess that was her son. She was half expecting to walk in and find her son slicing his own skin, the fact that he wasn't made her heart lift, however slight. She shut the door and sat down next to her son, in large the same position, though her hands were holding her chin instead of her forehead.

“Sweetheart, what's wrong? What happened to make you so sad?” Now, for the hardest part, getting him to talk about what was going on with him, why he was crying so heavily.

“Why am I ‘so sad’? You were in there at the same time I found out, just you and me, so you tell me,” Mike fired at her. He wasn't mad at her per say, he was mad at himself, but he wasn't allowed to take it out upon himself, his parents and older sister were constantly telling him to take out on them, as long as he didn't bring a blade to his wrist. He followed their request, he took it out on them, but he always ended up regretting it and apologizing, but all they would say is “We told you to do so.”

“Mike, you know what I mean. What made you break today? And Mike I have to know, if I don't I can't help, and if I can't help, what can I do?”. Karen said, her voice firm, but still soft.

“Will, okay it was Will,” Mike said, voice cracking and choking on the tears from the thought brought to mind.

“Oh, sweetheart, what happened?” Karen asked. She knew of her only son’s feelings toward the shorter boy, she had known for a while now, and she was nothing but supportive. She had always known that there was something special between those two and that her son had stronger feelings for Will than he ever would with Dustin or Lucas. 

“Nothing, that's what happened. I can't take nothing anymore, I need something. I need something to happen,” Mike said, the despair apparent in his voice, the same despair that had been there for a few months, but it was stronger, as if Mike had never known joy.

“Mike, you need to tell him. He deserves to know, I mean he is the one you have the world's biggest crush on,” Karen said, trying to lighten the mood.

“But what if he hates me for it, mom I couldn't handle that. It would kill me,” Mike whispered, and he meant every word, if Will hated him, he wouldn't want to live.

“I know honey, but if he really is your friend, he won't do that, even if he doesn't reciprocate,” Karen whispered back, she didn't like the thought of what Mike meant when he said ‘it would kill me.’

“Hey, Mike, you okay?” Nancy Wheeler asked after knocking on the door and poking her head through the crack in the door. She had been walking down the hall when she had heard the crying, she was going to check on her brother, but her mother beat her to it and told her to wait a moment. When she heard the so the sobs stop and the whispering begin, she had decided it would be a good time to check on him for herself, she trusted her mom but she had to know he was okay.

“Yeah, I'm fine, now,” he replied, forcing a smile at his sister. Both women in the room knew the smile was fake, but they could see the small glint of truth in his eyes.

“Well, I'm glad,” Nancy smiled at her brother, it was so good to see something in his eyes besides despair. Nancy briefly thought about what they could have been talking about, she had an idea, but she wasn't sure, whatever it was, it brought something new to his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought! Remember, no hate, please.


End file.
